THE extension of maternity leave to 178 days in Guangdong Province is leaving a bittersweet taste with new mothers in Shenzhen, as many of them find that their careers are taking a nosedive after they return from leave, the Daily Sunshine reported Thursday.

    A 31-year-old woman, identified only as Xin, said that she earned 9,000 yuan (US$1,323) per month at a private company before she became a mother. But she was transferred to another position with a monthly wage of 4,000 yuan after she returned from maternity leave.

    “I was so annoyed by what happened to me. It was discrimination and underhanded punishment. The company wanted me to leave,” she said.

    Xin quit the job and got a new one with a monthly wage of 6,000 yuan. “I feel angry because I know I’m capable of doing the job, but there’s an invisible dome that stops women like me from going up to a higher level,” she said.

    A teacher at a private school in Longgang District, surnamed Luo, said that the school’s leadership only allows new mothers a 90-day maternity leave. The school refused further negotiation with Luo and other pregnant teachers. Relevant government departments said that they would only intervene in labor mediations when female workers are fired for taking maternity leave.

    Another teacher, who declined to be named, said that pregnant teachers at several private schools in Longgang are facing the same situation.

    A 32-year-old woman, identified as Jia, said that a supervisor at her company told her that she must guarantee that she won’t get pregnant within two years if she wants a transfer to a particular position. “I think this is a type of discrimination. Maybe the position is suitable for me, but I could miss the opportunity considering it comes with strings attached,” she said.

    An online survey shows that 93.52 percent of respondents endorse the extension of maternity leave, but 54.98 percent believe that their bosses won’t approve such a long leave for new mothers. About 65 percent of respondents were worried that they might lose their job after taking a long maternity leave.

    A Hong Kong entrepreneur, Liu Yanyan, who owns a clothing factory in Longgang District, said that traditional manufacturing companies are apt to hire female workers, but they might consider recruiting new employees if female workers take maternity leave for half a year.

    “Having children or not will become a key consideration when many companies hire female workers,” Liu said.

    A person in charge of the human resources department at a company said that the company has become reluctant to hire female employees since the two-child policy was adopted. “The company will choose a middling male employee over an outstanding, childless female candidate,” the person said.

    A Shenzhen-based lawyer, Lin Qian, said that the government should offer subsidies to companies to relieve the financial pressure that comes with longer maternity leave.

    “Extending maternity leave will weight women’s responsibility as house wives, which is not good for gender equality,” said a senior media worker, surnamed Chen. He said that in Sweden both husbands and wives can take maternity leave for a total number of days, which can ensure that men also share the responsibility of taking care of children. (Zhang Yang)